Opening Reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory!

Last nights opening reception for Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory was wonderful.  All the artwork blends beautifully with the plants.

Here I am standing with my piece, Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops.  This is my first outdoor sculpture I have ever made and it was a real challenge to figure out, but it has withstood a pretty awful storm a few days ago and nothing has been damaged.  I look forward to creating more outside sculptures!  These piece has been an amazing learning experience.

My piece Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables.  This is also my first time making site-specific installations.  The Garfield Park Conservatory is a very warm, humid, and wet location so I and the other artists had many elements to consider when making our work.  This has been an awesome opportunity to grow as an artist!

In this photo is 8 of the 12 artists and Sergio Gomez, the curator of the show.  

We each had a chance to tell everyone a bit about our work.

Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables

Heirloom fruits and vegetables are plants that have been grown for about 50 to 100 years or more before large-scale agriculture began.  Heirloom plants are open-pollinated, meaning they have been naturally pollinated by insects, birds or wind.  The produce found in grocery stores are usually hybridized to make them more disease and pest resistant so they can be grown in mass quantities with less hassle.  These fruits and vegetables are also chosen for their longer shelf stability.  This way of picking and choosing leaves many varieties of fruits and vegetables unknown to us that are often richer in flavor and largely diverse.

Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops

Inside these jars are the 8 genetically modified crops Monsanto produces and sells at an incredibly large scale.  This includes corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugarbeets, alfalfa and sorghum.  The seeds they sell to farmers have had their DNA manipulated to make the plant resistant to specific pests, diseases or environmental conditions.  This piece serves as a reminder to recognize the history and future of these 8 crops.

Chicago's Twelve will be at Garfield Park Conservatory until December 9th.  We will also be having an artist talk at the Garfield Park Conservatory on October 24 from 6 to 8pm for Chicago Artists Month.

Installing Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops at Garfield Park Conservatory

Monsanto's Genetically Modified Crops is finally in it's place in the Monet Garden at the Garfield Park Conservatory!

Almost there....

I have finished all 8 of Monsanto's genetically modified crops for my new piece that will be on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory for Chicago's Twelve.  I will be installing my work sometime next week.

I have enough time to sew together two more heirloom plants for my other piece.  I am thinking of sewing an heirloom pumpkin and a patty pan squash!

Almost Finished with Monsanto Sculpture!

I have finished sculpting and painting 7 out of the 8 crops Monsanto sells as a genetically modified seed.  The Sorghum is the last one to do and I should be done with it tomorrow.  All I have left is to seal up the jars real good so water can not get in and drill the holes on the wooden shelf I built to tie the jars to it with twine.  This is the frightening part since this piece will be outside for four months but I am excited for the challenge because I have never made artwork for outside before.

Only Sorghum Seeds Left to Sculpt!

Yesterday I finished sculpting the Corn.

The Alfalfa

The Sugarbeet.  Once they dry and are painted I will attach the leaves to the beet inside the jar.  It has been hard enough sculpting these plants, but trying to sculpt them to fit inside their jars hasn't made it any easier!

The final crop to sculpt is the Sorghum.  That pile of sorghum seeds took an hour...so I found some foam and covered it in clay to stick inside the jar so I do not spend 3 days making sorghum seeds!

Wooden Structure for "Monsanto Seeds" Finished

Yesterday my Dad and I built the vertical shelf for Monsanto Seeds which will be on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory from August 8 through December 9 for Chicago's Twelve.

I used a base that my friend Andy found in the alley, some $1 scrap wood from my local hardware store, and wood that had been sitting around in my Dad's yard.

I am thankful that my Dad was able to help me.  He has any tool I could need.

My Dad sanding down some of the screws that stuck out.

The finished product!  Now I need to sculpt the 8 plants to put inside the jars and connect the jars to the stand with jute.  I am almost finished!

Here is the original sketch.

Chicago's 12 at Garfield Park Conservatory

Chicago's Twelve at Garfield Park Conservatory opening Wednesday, August 8 from 6-8pm!  Also, there will be a Chicago's Twelve Artist Talk at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Wednesday, October 24th at 6pm for Chicago Artist Month.

This is my first idea for a piece that could be located outside.

My second idea.  I have yet to get the go ahead for either of them but I have probably 2 weeks to get these done.  I am going to have to be speedy.

Monsanto Seeds

The materials I would use would be  recycled wood, metal, glass jars, and clay sculptures of corn, alfalfa, wheat, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugar beets and sorghum.  These are the 8 GMO seeds Monsanto produces on an incredibly large scale.   The glass mason jar is used to preserve foods.  Having the plants in the jars is a reminder to save and preserve their natural make-up.  Plants are brought to peoples attention when they are in the Garfield Park Conservatory and this piece serves as a reminder to recognize the history and future of these 8 seeds.

Heirloom Fruits and Vegetables

The Garfield Park Conservatory contains some plants that are over 300 years old.  They also display plants that many viewers did not know exist.  Placing these heirloom fruits and vegetables in the Garfield Park Conservatory will educate viewers about edible plants that seem strange and have been around for over 50 to 100 years.  The materials would be made of recycled fabric and twine to hang from the ceiling.

Five Genetically Modified Seeds from Monsanto

Here is an idea for an outdoor sculpture I was working on yesterday.  The materials I would use would be  recycled wood, metal, glass jars, and clay sculptures of corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, and possibly sugar beets.  These are 5 out of the 8 GMO seeds Monsanto produces on an incredibly large scale.  I am paying more attention to these 5 plants because they are foods we consume on a regular basis.  The glass mason jar is used to preserve foods.  Having the plants in the jars is a reminder to save and preserve their natural make-up.

Finished!

Monsanto and the Farmer is finally finished!

In the end, the corn is hardly visible because it is being crushed by Monsanto. It is sad that so much of my work is not seen, but at the same time it reminds me of the work the farmers do that is not appreciated.

Monsanto owns the corn and the farmers are it's minions. Monsanto can destroy the farmer. I wanted Monsanto to be crushing many varieties of heirloom corn because they insist on only growing one kind of corn, and this corn can mix with the heirloom seeds and we can loose them for good. Mexico is especially proud of it's many varieties of corn, but Monsanto has succeeded in growing it's one variety of corn there as well.

The farmer offers the one kind of genetically modified corn Monsanto has them grow.

Sewing Corn Kernels, One by One

The past few days I have been working on sewing one piece of corn for the Monsanto piece. I am sewing each kernel on by hand and it is taking a lot longer than I thought just to get one side done. But in the end these two will be sewn together to make a piece of plushy heirloom corn. I wondered whether I should do only yellow corn or do the many other varieties that exist. I thought this piece could also make a comment on how Monsanto is growing their genetically modified corn in Mexico. Mexico fears that if Monsanto were to grow their GMO corn in Mexico it would cross contaminate their many varieties of native corn. Here is a short article about it.

Here is an image of some of the corn varieties I am going to sew.

I also went to salvation army and bought a flannel and suit jacket for $5. Now I won't feel so bad cutting them up. :0 )